Hopefully, these dos and don’ts of car pooling and ridesharing will help you have a smooth commute into work every day.

Steps

1

Fill your car up with gas in advance, preferably the night before. Don’t wait until you’ve picked everyone up to fill your gas tank. This is time consuming and you could risk breaking down.

2

Limit multitasking when others are in the car. When you are stuck in traffic, avoid talking on the phone, listen to music, read the paper and eat a full course meal.

3

Practice carpool and rideshare etiquette.

4

Don’t be a driving instructor. In other words, don’t give the driver any unsolicited driving lessons. Shouting “look out!” and “don’t let that idiot cut you off” can be very distracting to a driver when car pooling.

5

Don’t be a chatter box. If you’re car pooling or ridesharing with co-workers or friends, that is one thing – they are used to it. But when you’re car pooling with strangers, talking too much can be very irritating, especially during the early morning hours. I remember car pooling to Brooklyn every morning and one particular passenger would talk non-stop. Even if I was pretending to be asleep to keep her from talking, she would still carry on a conversation. So, if no one else is talking, keep quiet.

6

Don’t eat or drink.

7

Avoid eating when ridesharing in another car pooler’s car, For example, the scent of an egg muffin sandwich can be overwhelming. You also want to avoid having any unnecessary accidents such as spilling coffee or tea all over the driver’s car seat.

8

Be early. When you’re late, you are causing your fellow car pooling passengers to be late as well. You should be standing by your door at least 5 to 10 minutes before the driver arrives.